From the Desk of the ED IAPHL: Nov 2023

Welcome to November!

Sitting on my desk and looking through the window daily, I have had the pleasure of watching a three-story building raised from the ground up. I have seen several different workers bringing their crafts to bare and pouring in their sweat. As I reflect, I found some common threads between the building and our community & our ecosystem. So, I invite you to reflect with me. I ask you, how do you categorize the workers on the construction site? Who is more important (Bricklayer, Project Manager, Welder, etc.) and why? What are your thoughts?

For us at IAPHL, October was elegant. We pulled our efforts together. Everyone brought in their own quota of contributions. That is why we are here today and I say thank you and let’s keep building!

In the month of October, we enjoyed the expert contributions from our colleagues through one-on-one calls/emails, the listserv, presentations, courses/resource sharing, webinars, and physical convenings.

I would like to highlight the following engagement and thank the facilitators for an excellent delivery.

1. IAPHL Nigeria Webinar; Led by Chinedu Obi, the Nigeria chapter in collaboration with Empower School of Health brought us a webinar titled: Laboratory Logistics Practices in Africa – Past, Present & Future. Thank you, Dr. Theo, Prof Andy, and Dr. Johnson Shonhe for sharing.
2. Track and Trace Webinar; GS1 and NAFDAC presented the case progress with the Nigeria Traceability Initiative led by Nuran Idris and Kayode John. Access the recording here.
3. The RHSC GMM: In Accra, we had the opportunity to connect and learn from the different works as regards reproductive health supplies. While we enjoyed the drums, I had the privilege of connecting with Prosper Senamede the Togo IAPHL Lead, and several other members of the IAPHL to share feedback and recommendations for the community. Thank you for your kind thoughts and warm handshakes. Hear from Martyn Smith here.
4. 17th TechNet Conference. In Panama City, IAPHL had the opportunity for an innovation cafe. Thank you to members who stopped by to share some thoughts with us. There is more to come in our collaboration with TechNet to move the immunization supply chain forward.
5. The IAPHL Magazine. The 2nd edition of the IAPHL Magazine is set (Look out for it) and we are proud of the excellent contributions we have received. Please share your experience with the product and we continue to make it better.

As we move on in November, in addition to our listserv and chapter engagements, I want you to look for the following:

1. SAPICS & IAPHL Webinar _ Medical Devices and Automatic Inventory Systems -November 30
2. Townhall meeting – All IAPHL members. This is designed to bring the community together to get some feedback and recommendations on how we can make progress together. Please look out for the invite.
3. Global Health Supply Chain Summit in Nairobi, Kenya 14-16 November 2023. Look out for the IAPHL presentation(s)!
4. The 15th Annual Health and Humanitarian Logistics Conference 21-22 November 2023.  Look out for IAPHL (HCL) participation!

Sincerely,

Timi.